This invention relates to an apparatus and method for the extraction of crustacean meat from the shell structure of the crustacean by centrifugal force. More particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus and method of extracting crabmeat from the shell.
Centrifugal machines for extracting crabmeat are known in the industry. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 1,533,018 issued on Apr. 7, 1925 teaches a centrifugal type crabmeat separator. The machine uses a rotatable container with a rack. The rack has a plurality of radially arranged open-ended compartments separated by rods into inner and outer chambers. A wall with small openings is mounted midway between the inner and outer compartments to hold the shells of the crustaceans, while allowing the meet to pass therethrough.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,565,341 issued on Dec. 15, 1925 discloses a rotatable pan with perforated circumferential partition or grating dividing the pan into inner and outer compartments. The grating retains the shells, while the meat is separated by centrifugal force and is moved into the outer compartment.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,104,027 issued on Jan. 4, 1938 teaches the use of a cylindrical bowl mounted for rotation at a speed of about 1800 rpm. A series of meat-receiving drawers are removably mounted in the bowl around the sidewall. On the wall is fitted an open top provided with inwardly projecting ribs dividing the outer part into channels. The channels are configured to retain a body holder and meat drawer. Each holder has a pair of vertical sidewalls connected at their upper and lower ends by arcuate members, which in turn are connected by spaced bars.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,229,325 issued on Jan. 18, 1966 discloses a centrifugal-type machine for extracting crabmeat. The machine has a spinning basket, a plurality of vertical pins secured to the base of the basket in two sets—the inner set and the outer set. A perforated annular plate retains the crabs in the basket.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,597,792 issued on Aug. 10, 1971 teaches a machine with carrier trays, which are mounted for rotation by a variable speed electric motor having controls selectively enabling rotation of the carriers at different speeds for predetermined time intervals such as to cause expulsion from the crab body compartments first of the lump meat sections in unbroken form, followed by expulsion of the smaller flake meat sections.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,752,988 issued on Jun. 28, 1988 discloses a method, according to which the crabs are cooked and then have their claws trimmed, brushed, cut in half longitudinally and placed on a spinning disc for centrifugally removing the crabmeat. The sliced surfaces of the body sections face radially outward. The separated meat then passes through the openwork barrier and is collected by a plurality of cup-like receptacles located radially outward from the open work barrier.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,149,294 issued on Sep. 22, 1992 discloses the use of shell crushing device and a subsequent separation means in which the meat is separated from the shell fragments, at least partially, through a centrifugal force effect. The meat separation assembly comprises a rotary tray adapted to be supplied with a mixture of meat and shells and wherein a number of upright (vertical or steeply inclined) separation-wall-defining adjacent members are arranged along the path of a closed ring. The separated meat is collected within an annular space externally of the adjacent members.
While these machines may work satisfactory under certain circumstances, there is a need for a meat extraction machine and method that would allow processing of large quantities of crustaceans during one rotating cycle.